


Halloween Surprise

by Takara_Phoenix



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Gods, Fluff, Halloween, M/M, Nicercy - Freeform, Shounen-ai, Slash, jock!Percy, outsider!Nico
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-11
Updated: 2014-11-11
Packaged: 2018-02-24 23:51:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2600945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico is a loner, he basically only really has two friends at his school. Ethan and Alabaster. Sadly enough, Ethan is also friends with their school's quarterback Luke, so when his friends are invited to a Halloween-party, Nico is forced to tag along, dressed as a Death Angel and with a Venetian mask to cover his identity. It would ruin his reputation to be seen at a jock's Halloween-party after all.<br/>Percy is a jock and he's friends with Luke, so he's there too. But he's also there because Leo insisted on him finally moving on and getting over Annabeth. The problem? Annabeth is also at the party. With her girlfriend Reyna. So Percy drinks. Maybe a bit too much. But there's that Death Angel and he's kind enough to bring Percy home again. The problem? He has no idea what the Death Angel's name is, or what school he goes to or even what his face really looks like...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Halloween Surprise

Title: Halloween Surprise – A Better Treat Than Candy...

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; mortal AU

Disclaimer : All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, fluff, drunken minors, boys are idiots, shoujo-ai, threesome, hetero

Main Pairing: Nicercy

Side Pairings: Ethan/Alabaster, Luke/Octavian, Reyna/Annabeth, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Jake/Will, Paul/Sally

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Annabeth Chase, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Alabaster C. Torrington, Ethan Nakamura, Luke Castellan, Octavian Simmons, Jake Mason, Will Solace, Sally Blofis, Paul Blofis

Summary: Nico is dragged to a Halloween party against his will, but his friends' friend throws one and Ethan and Alabaster insist that he should come along. Percy is also being dragged to the very same party by his friend Leo, to get over his breakup with Annabeth. It's not helpful that Annabeth is there too, with her _girlfriend_. Drinking helps. The hot, black-winged angel with the Venetian mask is helping too, because damn, all of _that_ is distracting. If only Percy knew his name.

 

**Halloween Surprise**

_ A Better Treat Than Candy... _

 

Nico was trying to be gloomy and irritated, but it was hard with a completely wasted Alabaster hanging off his arm, babbling on about how hot his boyfriend Ethan was. It was Halloween and yes, normally that was Nico's favorite time of the year. High school however changed that. Because high school entailed stupid parties from the popular kids and cheerleaders dressed in slutty outfits.

Sadly enough, Nico's best friend's boyfriend's best friend was one of the popular kids.

Luke Castellan, captain of the football team, of course invited his best friend Ethan, who wouldn't attend a party without his boyfriend Alabaster and since Alabaster didn't get along with the annoying cheerleaders, he had forced his best friend Nico to come along as well.

Nico di Angelo _hated_ parties. He actually hated a lot, if he was being honest. He hated being around people, loud people and fake people even more so. The high school was full with all those fake people. All those perfect jocks and cheerleaders with their fake smiles and perfectness. It was the reason Nico stayed out of their path and rather stood back and kept to himself. Well, himself, Alabaster and Ethan. And now those few friends he had had betrayed him too and forced him to go to a Halloween party. Including the dress-up. Alabaster had forced him into a costume and there was no way Nico would forgive him _that_ any time soon.

At least he didn't have to look at too many too-slutty-dressed cheerleaders since it was a 'Rainbow Pumpkin' party. Aka, a gay Halloween party. Nico didn't want to know who came up with that lame name. Or the logo. On the banner in front of the house was a pumpkin chariot being pulled by a unicorn. At least the chances of meeting someone else from their school were low with that theme since Nico was pretty sure he knew every gay there – Ethan, Alabaster and Luke. Most other guests were from various other high schools from all over New York.

 

/break\

 

Unbeknown to Nico, another guest on this party was from their school and he was very much in the same situation as Nico. His name was Percy Jackson and Nico usually defined the guy as one of those fake, annoying, perfect jocks. Up until three weeks ago, those things may have applied to him, but something changed and forced him to change. His long-time girlfriend, also known as his childhood sweetheart and all-of-his-life best friend, had broken up with him. She had confessed, with teary-eyes, that she was a lesbian and that she had gotten together with him because she had been insecure about herself and her sexuality. Percy didn't blame her and he hoped she'd find love, but that didn't mean that it hadn't hurt like hell to be dumped after two years of relationship. It was also a kick to his self-esteem that his best friend hadn't trusted him enough to discuss her insecurities beforehand. So for the past three weeks, Percy had spend a lot of time debating what kind of friend he was and that entailed contemplating what kind of person he was.

It had brought him to a simple conclusion: He wasn't as straight as they came and maybe he wasn't happy _all the time_ , even though he was usually all smiles and laughter.

Which was what brought him here tonight. He had been quite down and a little bit bi-curious, so his second best friend Leo had decided to help him out by dragging him to a so-called Rainbow Halloween Party. To cheer him up and to maybe get him a cute guy to get over Annabeth.

Percy didn't approve of that, because he was quite capable of finding dates himself. Okay, with  _girls_ . He used to date Calypso before he had gotten together with Annabeth – later learning that Annabeth had been jealous that the girlfriend had stolen her  _best_ friend, which was why Annabeth had then asked him out to begin with. Boys however were a different matter. After all, how was he supposed to know if a guy was  _gay_ . With girls, it had been a safe bet for him so far – then again he had never really considered the possibility of the girl he asked out maybe being a lesbian. It seemed much more complicated and confusing to know if the boy he liked was gay or straight.

Yet those problems still didn't make Percy appreciate the fact that Leo dragged him to a gay Halloween party – after stuffing him into a short, blue dress. Toga, Leo had called it. To Percy, it looked like a freaking dress. And Leo had forced him to shave his legs – why was it so impossible to resist those sad lion cub eyes of Leo's?! So here he was, in a short toga, with a coral-crown and a silver trident. Leo's first idea had been to dress Percy up as The Little Mermaid, but Percy had resisted a little too much, so they had more-or-less compromised on Poseidon, God of the Sea. The only reason why Percy hadn't locked himself into his room to escape the sad-lion-cub-eyes-of-doom was that it was a masked party, since many high school students still had a little bit of a problem openly going to a gay party like that. So Percy's face was half hidden behind a blue mask, adored with sea-shells and ornaments that resembled waves.

Now Percy wasn't looking forward to hooking up with some masked stranger on some annoying party, but he had been looking forward to spending time with his friends. After all, the host was the captain of his football team and a good friend of his and Annabeth's.

There were multiple reasons why Percy wasn't enjoying himself at the moment though.

Luke was a friend of both Percy's and Annabeth's. Which resulted in Annabeth being there too. Together with her new girlfriend Reyna. And weren't they just the perfect couple? No, seriously, they were. When Percy looked over at them, the way Reyna had her arms around Annabeth's waist as they swayed to the music, Annabeth laughing softly at something Reyna had said – they were happy. And Percy wanted Annabeth to be happy. He just  _really_ didn't need her to rub it in his face. That she broke up with him and already moved on to a better relationship while he was a moping single. The two friends hadn't spoken since the break-up because Percy didn't know  _how_ and Annabeth was still feeling guilty about dumping all of that on Percy.

So Percy had to sit there and watch his ex-girlfriend slow-dancing with her new girlfriend. Without anyone to distract him. Because the only people he knew were Luke and Leo. Luke was sitting next to Percy, but he also happened to be sitting on his boyfriend's lap and Octavian had all of Luke's undivided attention (most likely because he had his hands on the other blonde's ass). Leo on the other hand had been more or less kidnapped by that tall Asian-looking Santa Claus about half an hour ago. It had fit, after all Leo had been dressed up as sexy elf (Percy's idea of payback for the Poseidon-outfit). Still, that left Percy all on his own, sulking about Annabeth's happiness.

“Dude, Percy, really. Stop it with the gloomy face. Not even the hot death angel over there looks as gloomy as you do”, commented Luke as he elbowed Percy. “Don't ruin my party with your mood.”

“Who cares about the stupid party?”, muttered Octavian, lips against Luke's neck. “I'd prefer for it to end soon so I can just spread you out on the dinner table and ravish you.”

Percy wiggled his nose and turned a little green at that mental image. Didn't need that. Though his eyes did roam the room to find that death angel Luke had mentioned. And hello, Hottie McHandsome. Those deep, earthy-warm and dark eyes, deliciously olive-toned skin and adorably messy black hair all accenting a nicely shaped, tall body. And the wrapping wasn't shabby either. Black skin-tight leather pants, sleeveless black turtleneck, a black Venetian mask with silver ornaments of skulls and bones and large, black-feathered wings on his back. Too bad the hot angel was already heavily being flirted at by some blonde dressed as a doctor...

 

/break\

 

Nico was actually enjoying himself. Those masked parties were something he liked, because the real mask allowed people to drop their individual masks – the fake smiles and strained looks and pretense. With a hidden identity, many felt more at ease to be themselves. Nico was one of them.

Okay, it had put a damper on him to see his _sister_ here. Hazel, dresses as sexy Missus Claus, together with her boyfriend Frank, who was dressed as Santa himself. It was the epitome of too much information to learn that they were looking for a 'cutie' because Hazel wanted to watch Frank making out with a guy. There went his dinner down the toilet. Things he really didn't need to know. It hadn't helped to see a happy Frank with an elf thrown over his shoulder walking past him half an hour ago, heading upstairs to the bedrooms. Nope, Nico needed more alcohol to forget _that_.

So he went to the bar to get another drink. And another. And another. The perks of Luke's boyfriend already attending college  _and_ being rich – free booze without age limit. The blonde who had started flirting with him upon sitting down at the bar was cute enough, Nico had to admit that smiley sunny-boys were his type. So were surfer-types. But blondes weren't, not really. That was just taking it a little  _too_ literal. The blonde sunny-boy surfer-type? Too cliche.

“So... Will was it, si?”, asked Nico with a smile, resting his hand on top of Will's, leaning in some.

“Uhu”, nodded Will, blushing a little as Nico was laying the Italian accent on heavy.

“Not to be assuming, but if the IronMan over there isn't already your boyfriend, he very much wants to be and I came here to have fun, not to be beaten up over a cute piece of ass”, smiled Nico amused, nodding into the direction of a glaring dark-haired boy. “Why don't you go and flirt a little with him? I saw you checking him out earlier when you came in.”

“Ah, yes, well...”, started Will with a frown. “That's Jake. I kind of have a crush on him, but...”

“Mh... I get it”, nodded Nico in understanding. “You're using me to make him jealous.”

Will blushed in guilt and averted his eyes. “To my defense, flirting with you is also fun...”

A wicked smirk was laying on Nico's lips as he reached one hand out to grasp Will by the neck and pull him in. Will barely had the time to yelp as he was pulled into a heated kiss. Not that it lasted long, because before he even had the chance to really answer it, he got jerked off.

“What do you think you're doing there, taking advantage of his drunkenness?”, growled an annoyed IronMan, glaring at Nico as he pulled Will against him. “Get lost, ghost boy.”

And that was the good deed of the year, just in the nick of time, after all it was already the end of October. Grinning to himself, Nico got up and left Will in the hungry hands of a jealous IronMan. He licked his lips as he looked around the room thoughtful. Will tasted too sweet. Nico wasn't much for sweets, he liked the salty and savory tastes more. Savory like that pouting little toga-boy. The grin on his lips turned shark-like as he zoomed in on his prey of the night.

“Buena sera, bello”, whispered Nico, his voice more like a dark, deep growl.

The boy in the blue toga turned to him and behind the Venetian mask, two large sea-green eyes stared up at him. His pupils were wide, the irises a beautiful swirl of green and blue. His eyes were crossed due to the alcohol influence and the confusion as he tried to decipher what Nico had just said. It was an adorable look on the stranger. Now that Nico was closer, he took a moment to truly appreciate the sight. Tanned skin, wrapped tightly around a well-defined body – a swimmer, if Nico would have to guess – and his dark hair was a complete mess, which looked quite cute on him. The blue piece of clothing only barely reached the boy's knees as it was wrapped around his waist like a skirt, with one length drawn over the boy's left shoulder, leaving the right half of his torso bare. Nice sixpack that the green-eyed teen was showing off there, not overly defined as though he was on steroids, but more of the light and teasing kind. The dip of his collarbone was very enchanting and Nico felt the urge to run his tongue along it. Though he was soon distracted by the right, bare rosy-pink bud that was stiff due to the chilly autumn night. Nico's fingers twitched with the urge to twist and pinch it, just to test what kind of sounds the cutie would make.

“Ah, crap. I'ma stop drinkn if ah can't understand English no more...”, mumbled the other upset.

“You _should_ stop drinking, because you seem incapable of _speaking_ English”, agreed Nico amused and sat down next to the green-eyed teen. “And I said 'good evening, beauty'. In Italian.”

“Oh... You know fancy languages”, awed the other, his pink, kissable lips forming a tempting 'o'.

“What can I call you, bello?”, asked Nico and subtly took the boy's beer away.

He was intended on seducing the cutie, but he didn't need to get the boy completely drunk. He trusted his charm there. So he slyly laid one arm around the boy's waist and led him out of the house. Fresh air to sober him up some. Because Nico would prefer for those kissable lips to spend some time with Nico's body and not with the toilet later on. The other obediently followed Nico, which was really more concerning than flattering, if Nico was being honest. Any perv could just pick him up and do what-not with him. No, Nico decided to protect the boy's virtue (from others. Not himself. That virtue so was his to steal). They sat down on the porch together.

“Perseus”, mumbled the green-eyed boy, the voice muffled by Nico's turtleneck.

The boy's head was resting on Nico's shoulder, his legs thrown over Nico's thighs as he sat snuggled up to the Italian. Nico cocked one eyebrow, a little confused for a second before he realized that now, with about five minutes delay, he had gotten the answer to his question.

“Perseus?”, repeated Nico intrigued. “A very... unique name, bello.”

“Mh...”, was all he got in reply as Perseus shuddered a little. “Is cold...”

Nico frowned and started rubbing Perseus' arms, pulling him closer. A content sigh followed and the green-eyed teen snuggled up to Nico even further. It seemed he was a real cuddler. Nico liked that.

“Why are you drunk? To that extend, I mean. I guess everybody here is drunk”, asked Nico.

“See the pretty blonde?”, countered Perseus, vaguely pointing through the open house-door at two girls dancing through the hall. “Is my ex-girlfriend. Left me to discover her lesbianity.”

“Interesting word”, nodded Nico amused, watching a gorgeous blonde girl dancing with a black-haired Latina. “So since your girlfriend dumped you, you decided to turn gay too, si?”

“Eh...? Naw”, mumbled Perseus, shaking his head a little. “Jus' maked me think... 'bout things... n stuff... nd I kinda sorta figured I like boys too, not jus' girls... so my friend wanted me to try somethin' new nd find a boyfriend who'd treat me betterer...”

Normally it annoyed Nico beyond measurement when Alabaster started his drunken babbling, but Perseus sounded just too cute when he talked like that and slaughtered the English language. Smiling a little, Nico rested his chin on Perseus' head, still caressing his arm and side.

“That makes perfect sense, of course”, nodded Nico amused, inhaling the boy's ocean-scent.

“What with your blondie?”, asked Perseus, sounding nearly pouting.

A sly smirk found its way onto Nico's lips. “The good doctor got abducted by IronMan. Why? Are you jealous, Perseus? Don't worry, you have my  _full_ attention, bello.”

A light blush dusted the sun-kissed cheeks, as much as Nico could see below the mask, and Nico found it ridiculous that the boy was actually capable of being even cuter. They remained silent for a little while as Perseus sobered up a little and got more coherent. He was still a cuddler though.

“So the blonde wasn't your boyfriend then?”, asked Perseus softly. “You're not here together?”

“No”, laughed Nico, amused by the boy's jealousy. “Only met 'the blonde' tonight. I'm here with my friends, but since they're happily together, I thought I'd spend the night collecting some... sweets.”

“Mh?”, grunted Perseus confused, his eyes crossing once more.

“You're... very sweet...”, commented Nico casually, putting one hand on Perseus' knee.

He rubbed his thumb over it and let his hand creep up some. He pushed the toga out of the way to rest his hand about mid-thigh, enjoying the softness of his skin and the feeling of the lean muscles beneath that smooth skin. He dared to push up another inch, earning him a shudder.

“Is already cold enough”, protested the embarrassed boy, trying to pull his toga down again.

“Mh, but you have nice legs, it's a shame to hide them”, grinned Nico, nosing Perseus' cheek and kissing his jaw softly. “Then again, you have a nice body in general and I wouldn't want you running around naked here. Wouldn't want anyone leering at you.”

“Now I think _you_ 're the jealous one”, giggled the drunk boy on Nico's lap.

Nico had casually pulled Perseus closer and closer during their conversation until the green-eyed boy was safely seated on Nico's lap, one hand on Perseus' thighs and the other on his lower back.

“I consider myself more the possessive type than the jealous type, if you'd like to differ.”

“I don't”, replied Perseus cheekily, laying his head on Nico's shoulder again. “I'm cold. And tired.”

Nico frowned concerned when he noticed that the cutie was shaking. He had goosebumps. Sighing a little disappointed that his alone-time with Perseus seemed to have found an end, Nico slowly helped the other boy up. Though Perseus was in no condition to walk on his own just yet and just before he could fall, Nico pulled him up against his side.

“I think you partied enough for tonight”, declared Nico with a frown. “Let's get our coats and I'll bring you home so you can sleep and get the alcohol out of your system.”

“Dun' have a coat”, yawned Perseus, eyes nearly closed as his head rested on Nico's shoulder.

Nico glared a little. Cute, but dense. It was way too cold at night to go out in that short costume without a jacket of sorts. Maneuvering the boy inside, he placed Perseus on the couch.

“You're wasted, man”, commented Luke amused as he looked at the sleepy Poseidon-imposter.

Nico rolled his eyes at his friend – extended friend, anyway. Close acquaintance? Not that Nico cared at the moment. Apparently, their host knew Nico's new little obsession.

“That's the case”, confirmed Nico as he gathered his leather coat. “That's why I'll bring him home. Or, well, that's the plan, as long as he still remembers his own address.”

The Italian helped Perseus into the coat while Luke scribbled something onto a napkin. “That's his address. Be nice and don't take advantage of him. He's a sweetheart. Don't tell him I said that.”

“Yeah, it'll ruin your reputation”, snickered Octavian mockingly. “Now pay attention to me again.”

Nico stuffed the napkin into his pocket after reading the address and trying to memorize it. Then he wrapped one arm around Perseus' waist and helped the nearly asleep boy up. Yawning cutely, Perseus snuggled up to Nico's side once again, enjoying the warmth of another body.

“If you fall asleep on me now, I'd have to carry you and I somehow doubt that's going to work for the whole way”, stated Nico amused. “You're not exactly a scrawny light-weight.”

“Did you just call me fat?”, asked Perseus, turning adorable baby-seal-eyes on Nico.

“Mamma mia, you're killing me”, muttered Nico amazed and shook his head. “No, I called you well-defined. You have _muscles_ and muscles are heavier than fat, bello.”

“If you don't want me to sleep, you need to entertain me”, declared Perseus once he deemed Nico's reply appropriate. “Tell me what you do or like or I dunno. Talk to me.”

And that was how the two of them fell into a two-hour long conversation about various topics – spreading from Nico's obsession with Mythomagic (which earned him giggles and coos from Perseus), his childhood in Venice, to Perseus' love for the sea, how much he loved his mother, his admiration for  _Doctor Who_ . They could have walked the way in less than an hour probably, but Perseus was barely awake and Nico was half-carrying him.

“So, here we are. According to the napkin”, stated Nico as they reached a blue, little house.

“Yup”, agreed Perseus with a wild nod, popping the 'p'.

He was steadying himself by holding onto the doorknob. Nico felt like teasing the boy one last time before their ways parted so he bend down and grabbed his hand to place a tender kiss on the knuckles, lips lingering for a few seconds longer.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Perseus”, whispered Nico, content with the bright blush.

Though Perseus easily turned the tables and made Nico blush just as brightly. “Is that all I get? I thought I'd get a real-proper kiss... that's a bummer now...”

It had been a while since anyone had last managed to make him blush. The Italian grinned pleased by this surprise. He liked a challenge and something fresh as much as the next guy. Straightening again, he offered Perseus the most charming smile possible as he placed one hand in his neck and pulled the green-eyed teen in for a passionate kiss. Mh, Perseus tasted like the ocean, salty and yet a little bit like strawberries, a deliciously strange mixture. His tongue traced the warm, soft lips and Perseus was more than eager to open up for him. Though in his current state, the other boy wasn't even capable of trying to fight for dominance, he just let Nico roam free and ravish his mouth. Perseus' arms were wrapped around Nico's neck for support.

“If you two are done there, I think _you_ are thirty minutes past your curfew, young man.”

The two teens bolted apart and Nico stared at the salt-and-pepper haired man with wide, surprised eyes. “Ah, I'm... sorry, sir. I was just... making sure he arrived home safely, Mister...”

“Blofis”, supplied the man with a stern look. “And you wanted to make sure he's not missing any teeth either so you counted them with your tongue, yes?”

“Stop harassing them, Paul”, called a very amused, sweet voice from inside.

Nico took that as his cue to leave so he sneaked away while Mister Blofis was distracted by his wife. It was getting late anyway and he should make sure that Hazel got home safely too.

 

/break\

 

Sally Blofis was an angel send by the heavens to make Percy's life good and nice. She was combing her fingers through his hair as she placed a glass of water and an aspirin on Percy's nightstand.

“Am I grounded?”, asked Percy, turning enough to offer her the baby-seal-eyes.

“Paul may have forgotten his own youth, but I remember what it's like to be a teenager”, chuckled Sally amused. “Besides, if you had taken your bike to get home, you may have been on time, but you would also have driven under the influence of alcohol. So I'd rather have you half an hour late and in one piece than punctual but in the hospital.”

“You're the best, mom”, yawned Percy, snuggling up to his mom.

“Really? Last night it looked like you found a new favorite person”, stated Sally teasingly.

Percy's face flushed brightly and he tried to hide in his clothes, just to notice the curious scent of leather, mixed with that of earth and something else. It smelt like his Death Angel. Blinking a couple of times, he looked closely. Oh. He was still wearing his Death Angel's leather coat. He was angry with his drunken self for not asking the Italian's name – he was also angry at his drunken self for giving his proper first name. He  _loathed_ being called 'Perseus', everyone always only called him Percy. But since it was Luke's party, Percy didn't know if many from their school would attend too and he wasn't completely ready to fully come out, so he wanted to give a pseudonym. He just didn't come up with anything good, so he went with his name, the one  _no one_ aside from his parents and Annabeth knew. And now his Death Angel. The blush intensified when he thought of him.

“Was that... your boyfriend?”, asked Sally cautiously. “I'm just asking, you've been so depressed since you and Annabeth broke up. I'm not judging you, the youth is for experimenting...”

“I'm not experimenting”, mumbled Percy, turning to look at the ground. “I think I'm... bisexual.”

“Mh”, nodded Sally thoughtfully. “Good for you, not limiting yourself to one half of humanity.”

“ _Mom_!”, exclaimed Percy and laughed a little.

Sally grinned down at her son, ruffling his hair. “So... was that your boyfriend then?”

“No”, answered Percy, shaking his head a little. “I only met him yesterday. He was a real gentleman though. Stopped me from drinking too much and made sure I got home safely. He was very sweet. And very charming. And... a really good kisser...”

Percy blushed and Sally laughed. “Well, that sounds to me like he's your future boyfriend then.”

“I don't even know his name”, sighed Percy upset. “Forgot to ask... And because of the stupid mask, I don't even know what he really looks like – his face, I mean... It's frustrating...”

“My poor baby”, teased Sally with amusement sparkling in her eyes. “But I know you better than that. A Jackson doesn't back down from a challenge. So you don't know his name or what his face looks like, well, that makes finding him all the more fun, doesn't it?”

“Yeah... You're right, mom”, smiled Percy slightly, looking more content at that.

He'd find his Death Angel again and he'd make him his boyfriend.

 

/break\

 

Nico was making scrambled eggs and coffee. A lot of coffee. His sister didn't work without that. And judging by the amount of time it had taken Nico yesterday to get Hazel, Frank and their little Santa's Helper back to their house, she had drunken a lot. Which meant she'd need even more coffee to work without being grumpy all day. As if on cue did his sister more or less stumble down the stairs, her dark curls in a horrible mess, covering half her face. Then again, her eyes were closed anyway so they weren't exactly in the way. She yawned widely and sat down at the table.

“Thank you, awesome big brother”, mumbled Hazel. “Can I eat in my room?”

“I made a lot so your little... guests get something too”, nodded Nico, motioning at the tray he had already set apart for her. “I figured you'd want to enjoy a lazy morning with them.”

“You really are the best”, grinned Hazel, looking up at him fondly. “What about you? I mean, you didn't take the cutie home with you, but you left with him, so... did you sneak a quickie in?”

“How can you ask me such things, sis?”, muttered Nico beneath his breath, rolling his eyes. “No, I did not. I generally don't take advantage of drunkards. And he was _wasted_.”

“But you would have if he had been sober?”, asked Hazel teasingly.

“I suppose”, shrugged Nico with a frown. “Maybe. Not that it matters anyway.”

“Aw, I wish you would have picked him up and kept him”, sighed Hazel and stood, pecking his cheek and gathering the breakfast. “A boyfriend would help you loosen up some. You had so much fun yesterday, I don't get why you can't socialize at school.”

“Because the people at school are fake Barbies and Kens”, grunted Nico disgusted. “I will _never_ date a jock, Hazel. So I'm not going to look for a boyfriend at school. The end of it.”

“Whatever you say, brother”, chuckled Hazel. “I'll be eating breakfast. And then dessert.”

“If by 'dessert' you mean that imp you brought with you, I'll be going over to Alabaster's to make sure I don't have to be an ear-witness again”, huffed Nico and rolled his eyes.

 

/break\

 

Leo was still sore, even when Monday rolled around. And the party had been on Friday. But he had spend nearly the whole Saturday at the Levesque di Angelo household, being spoiled and ravished by Frank and Hazel. He had a dopey grin on his face when he slid into his seat in English classes. Though his dopey grin turned into a frown when he saw his upset best friend next to him.

“Perce?”, asked Leo, nudging his buddy. “What's up with the gloomy face?”

“It's not 'gloomy', it's the 'thinking'-face”, corrected Percy with a glare.

“Oh, sorry. Didn't recognize it there. It's such a rare sight”, teased Leo. “Why are you thinking?”

“Thank you”, huffed Percy, now pouting.

“Sorry”, laughed Leo. “Couldn't resist the dumb-jock-joke that was hidden there in plain sight. Now, seriously, what are you thinking about so hardly?”

“I met this guy at the party...”, drawled Percy and blushed a little. “He was really handsome and so sweet and he had this hot accent and he was a great kisser. But... I have no idea how to find him, because I don't even know his name or anything...”

“Oh. That's a bummer”, agreed Leo with a thoughtful look. “What are you gonna do about it?”

“I have no idea”, shrugged Percy, heaving a sigh. “I don't know with who he was there, I don't know a thing. Though... wait...When we talked, we also talked about school sport teams and he was talking about what jerks the jocks from his school were and when I asked him what school that was... it's ours. So he _does_ go to our school. And he should be around our age, or something...”

“That totally narrows it down to all dudes in our year, or below or above one”, snorted Leo.

“Thanks for the word of confidence”, huffed Percy with a glare. “Rather tell me about that dude that kidnapped you. The one for whose sake you abandoned me yesterday.”

“Way to work the guilt”, muttered Leo and glared at the hurt-baby-seal-eyes that were thrown his way. “His name is Frank and he's amazing and _so well endowed_ and he has this hot girlfriend-”

“I could have lived with 'amazing'”, interrupted Percy and blushed. “And wait, girlfriend?”

“Yes!”, exclaimed Leo before he fell into a lengthy retelling of yesterday's events.

 

/break\

 

Nico was hanging out with his friends behind the gym. It was strange, he couldn't forget Perseus. When he had woken Saturday morning, it had just been a party, a hook-up for the night. But all through Saturday and Sunday, his thoughts kept drifting over to the cutie.

“What's with the more-gloomy-than-usual attitude?”, questioned Ethan critically.

“I met this guy at Luke's party”, sighed Nico after a moment, glaring. “He was... different.”

“Elaborate”, ordered Alabaster intrigued. “What does 'different' mean? Was he an alien?”

“No, I did not run into a Police Call Box”, huffed Nico and rolled his eyes. “No, he was just... very true to himself. He was very open about anything – his breakup with his girlfriend and how that made him question his sexuality, he easily admitted to being jealous, he was very affectionate... I've never met someone so honest and cute. I'd... like to see him again.”

“Wow, gotta fuck one twice, that's a first”, teased Alabaster and cocked one eyebrow.

“We haven't had sex”, stated Nico annoyed.

“And another first”, added Ethan, cocking one eyebrow. “How come you didn't screw him?”

“Well, I was surprisingly sober last night while he was utterly drunk and with a disadvantage like that, it's not really a challenge to get into their pants”, shrugged Nico. “I don't do that.”

“Well then, why didn't you just drink _more_?!”, huffed Alabaster, waving his arms around.

“I can have fun without drowning myself in liquor”, stated Nico with a deadpan.

“Okay, okay, back to your special boy. You want to see him again, do you have his number?”, asked Ethan, nudging his friend. “What's his name, when are you going to see him again?”

“His name is Perseus... Blofis, I guess”, replied Nico with a frown. “I don't have his number, but I... do know where he lives. So I guess I could... visit him. Which will make me look like a creepy stalker. That's going to be fun. Not happening. I'll just track Perseus Blofis down on facebook. Everybody has facebook and I doubt there are a lot of people with a name like Perseus Blofis around... Right? I mean, it is a really weird name.”

“That's true”, agreed Alabaster with a frown. “Never heard it before.”

“Yeah, I already figured that he's not from our school”, shrugged Nico with a glare.

“Why don't we go and ask Luke? Maybe he got this guy's number”, suggested Alabaster.

“It was Luke's party”, agreed Ethan, motioning for Nico to follow.

“Ew. Jocks”, groaned the goth boy irritated. “I hate jocks...”

“What do you think your dream boy does?”, asked Alabaster teasingly.

“He looked like a skater boy”, shrugged Nico thoughtful, with a small smile on his lips. “I think he's a little rebel. And he definitely swims or surfs in his free time.”

“Wow. You have this whole... face-thing going on...”, observed Alabaster in awe. “The whole... happiness-deal. That's not your style. I think you really have a thing for that Perseus-guy.”

Nico wanted to say something, but they already reached the football field where the team was currently training. He made a disgusted face when he spotted his most hated jock. Percy Jackson. Not that the boy had ever done anything to him or bullied him – heck, that boy had _stopped_ the other jocks from bullying even. He was the poster boy for a well-behaved guy. Co-captain of the football team, captain of the swim-team, dating one of the cheerleaders, being a total golden couple that shared milkshakes and he had his girlfriend wear his letterman jacket. And _always_ with the happy-go-lucky smiles for _everyone_. Gah, he hated that.

“Hey, guys. What lured you out of your shadowy, comfortable, dark corner?”, asked Luke teasingly as he jogged over to the trio. “No, seriously. Did Buffy bust your party, or what?”

“I hate him so much”, whispered Nico beneath his breath, pinching his nose.

Ethan elbowed him hard before turning to Luke. “So, Nico here met a guy. On the off-chances that he was one of those you invited and not a plus one, do you know a Perseus Blofis?”

“I... think he didn't give you his real name...”, stated Luke and blinked in slow-motion. “There's no way parents would be cruel enough to name their kid _Perseus_. But the name Blofis kinda sounds familiar... maybe he's a brother or so of someone I know. Sorry I can't help.”

“It's alright”, sighed Nico and shook his head. “Didn't expect it.”

 

/break\

 

Leo has had enough of the awkwardness that was Percy and Annabeth. He had watched the football team train today and then came the cheerleaders and there was another long phase of awkward staring and not talking between Percy and Annabeth. Those two were awesome best friends, they just needed to get their heads out of their asses. So Leo had invited both of them to grab some burgers – Percy under the pretense of planning how to find his new sweetheart and Annabeth under the pretense of wanting to get to meet her girlfriend.

So here he was, sitting at a table with Percy, Annabeth and Reyna, two of those three glaring at him like he was some kind of traitor. Reyna however looked more interested in Percy.

“Oh come on, stop it with the angry looks”, huffed Leo and rolled his eyes. “I'm sick and tired of being pulled from one of you to the other. Piper and Percy are my best friends, but incidentally Piper is also _your_ best friend, Annabeth. Every time I hang out with her and consequently with you, I have to ditch Percy. I miss the good, old times when all four of us could hang out together.”

There was a pause before Percy looked up. “I do too...”

“But I thought you were too angry at me for breaking your heart to want that”, stated Annabeth.

“You didn't break my heart. I mean sure, our relationship was important to me, but... it never felt like we really passed that sibling-best-friend-bond of ours. Now that I know that you're a lesbian, I know _why_. It hurt me more that you never trusted me enough to talk to me about, well, your feelings and doubts in your sexuality and all that stuff”, replied Percy, shuffling about a little.

“You're best friends, you need each other, hug and make up”, ordered Leo and rolled his eyes.

“I like you, little guy”, noted Reyna amused as Percy and Annabeth hugged. “I've been thinking about a way to fix that for Annabeth for a while now because it had her so down.”

“Yeah well, I'm awesome”, shrugged Leo with a broad grin.

“So... how did you two meet?”, asked Percy awkwardly after a moment, munching on a fry.

“Actually, that was kind of Thalia's fault”, started Annabeth with a small grin.

Thalia was one of their shared friends, she was in Luke's class, two years older than Percy and Annabeth. “How was it her fault? Did she play Cupid and hit both of you with arrows?”

“No”, laughed Annabeth and shook her head. “Her archery club the Hunters had a tournament against the Amazons and Reyna's older sister Hylla is the head of the Amazons. Turns out Thalia and Hylla are actually also friends, have been for a couple of tournaments. So at the end of the day, I ended up in a bar with the Hunters and the Amazons and Thalia and Hylla were arm-wrestling and Thalia was kind of ignoring me in favor of that, so... I ended up talking to the girl who was being ignored by Hylla. Her little sister Reyna. And we... just kind of... hit it off together...”

“Like you and your Death Angel!”, squealed Leo excitedly, pointing at Percy.

“Come again?”, asked Annabeth and blinked a couple of times.

“I met a guy at Luke's Halloween-party”, shrugged Percy and rolled his eyes.

Triggered by the thought of the Halloween-party, Percy snuggled back into the black leather coat, taking a deep breath of that delicious scent that he had labeled _ode a la Death Angel_ in his head.

“Where did you get that leather-jacket?”, asked Annabeth curiously as she noticed the action.

“It's... his”, mumbled Percy, a blush dusting his cheeks. “He gave it to me because I was cold, but when he brought me home, Paul surprised and embarrassed us and he was in such a haste to get going that he forgot to take his coat back. I had hoped that, I don't know, if I'd wear it maybe he'll walk past me on the street and recognize his coat and thus recognize me...”

“So, I get it, you don't have his name or number then”, concluded Reyna amused.

“I was kinda... drunk”, shrugged Percy embarrassed.

“Way to go, seaweed brain”, sighed Annabeth amused, ruffling his hair affectionately.

Percy smiled a little and leaned into the touch. He had missed his female best friend.

 

/break\

 

Things continued like that for the next two or so weeks. Though while Percy was still trying to come up with a better plan to find his Death Angel aside from wearing his jacket, Nico had pretty much given up. A boy who went to a different school than him and who apparently didn't have a facebook account (seriously, even their _teachers_ had those!). How was he supposed to find him _without_ just walking up to his threshold like a creepy stalker...? Besides, it had been one evening. It wasn't like he was passing up on the love of his life here. Life went on, or so Nico was believing.

Not for Percy Jackson, or Perseus Blofis as Nico believed the boy was called. He kept looking around with those 'sad baby-seal-eyes of doom', as Leo liked to call them. He was apparently unbearable, according to the Latino. And the rest of the football team. And the swim team.

“What are _you_ doing here? Shouldn't you hang with the popular kids and get flaunted by your admirers and worshiped by your girlfriend?”

Percy jumped about half a foot high at the sudden, dark voice. Since his current attitude was not appreciated by his friends – he was growing sick and tired of all the teasing about his 'lovesick puppy look' (seriously, was he a baby seal or a puppy or a panda baby – according to Clarisse – he was starting to feel like a whole zoo on his own!). So to avoid the jabs, Percy had decided to spend lunch under the bleachers, hidden away from all the annoying pryers. Turning his head some, he came face to face with the scary local goth. Nico di Angelo. Percy shared some classes with the guy and he was positively freaked out by his anti-social behavior, the snide and sarcastic remarks and _that glare_ that was constantly aimed Percy's way. Just like now. As though Percy's mere existence was offending Nico's sensitive eyes. It freaked Percy out a lot.

“Not in the mood”, growled Percy, for once returning the glare aimed at him. “ _Really_ not in the mood. I've had a shitty week and everyone teasing me about it is getting on my nerves so if you only came to harass me too, just get lost again. I was here first.”

Nico blinked a couple of times dumbfounded. Normally, Percy Jackson would just smile at him brightly and offer some friendly cutesy phrase to coax him into becoming his friend, because Percy Jackson couldn't accept that there was someone who didn't want to be his friend. It appeared that a 'shitty week' was what Percy needed to grow a backbone. Nice. Grinning wryly, Nico walked over to the other boy and sat down, earning a confused look from Percy.

“This is _my_ lunch-time spot. I'm not giving it up because you have a sudden urge to sulk”, huffed Nico and fished out his cigarettes. “Not many other spots where I can smoke without being caught.”

Percy glared at the cigarette with distaste, but he didn't wipe out one of his goodie-two-shoes speeches, so Nico ignored it. Percy turned back to eating his... what in the world was that?

“Why is your sandwich blue?”, asked Nico slowly, blinking a couple of times.

“My mom likes baking and when she bakes bread, she puts food color in to make it blue”, explained Percy with a tender and fond smile. “It's... a thing. Blue food. Our thing.”

“Weird thing”, commented Nico and shook his head.

“Was the only thing that made us smile when we were still living with my first stepfather”, replied Percy with a simple shrug. “Blue muffins after every beating make the day brighter.”

Nico took a moment to progress that, just to notice it didn't progress. “W—What?”

“I know you don't like me and I know why you don't like me”, shrugged Percy, not looking at Nico. “Because _you're_ shallow and superficial and judge a book by its covers.”

“ _I'm_ shallow and superficial?”, snorted Nico and laughed hollowly.

“Yes. You see me smiling at everyone and befriending as many people as possible and you hate me for being just another one of them popular, fame-seeking jocks”, replied Percy casually. “But you never bothered to get to know me, or why I am the way I am. _I_ have shitty weeks too, no reason for you to look at me like I'm a ghost as you did there before. In fact, I've had shitty years. Years of living with an abusive stepfather, years of being bullied in middle school. So yeah, I smile at everyone because I'm _happy_ that my mother's married to a nice and kind man now and yeah, I befriend everyone because I enjoy finally having friends instead of bullies chasing after me. I'm always happy and smiling because I enjoy not being beaten up every day by either my stepfather or a bully. It's not me who's a shallow jock, you're shallow for just seeing a jock.”

There was a long stretch of awkward silence in which Nico, for the first time in his life, felt like a bully himself. He stared down at his shoes, contemplating what Percy had just said.

“Why are you telling me all of that?”, asked Nico, his voice unusually soft.

“Because I've had a shitty week of people looking at me and _assuming_ and I'm sick and tired of people doing that. You, walking up to me like that, having been the one person who assumed the most, it ticked me off I guess”, shrugged Percy with a frown. “Besides, it's not like it's a sensitive and raw subject for me. It's been years and it's laying in my past. Far, far in my past.”

Another stretch or silence, though this time a more thoughtful one. “What happened?”

“Mh?”, grunted Percy confused.

“This week. You said you had a shitty week”, inquired Nico. “So... what's everyone assuming?”

“Oh. That”, mumbled Percy, a bit embarrassed. “So, not sure if you heard about it, but Annabeth and I broke up. And now I met someone. The team's been getting at my case for being a lovesick puppy, but it's more than just that. I'm not hopelessly staring into the sunset, imagining us riding off on a white horse or anything. I'd just... like to say thanks for a good time and maybe see where things could go from there. Get to know each other better and stuff.”

“Heh. You're more mature than I gave you credit for”, stated Nico surprised and grinned.

“Don't assume”, countered Percy with a teasing grin. “I'm still pretty childish. Wanna have a blue chocolate chip cookie? They're totally delicious.”

Nico laughed a little as he took one of the cookies out of the bag that was being offered to him. So he had been wrong after all. Not all jocks were shallow and Percy Jackson wasn't a peacock who was proud of his feathers and sauntering around to show them off, he just enjoyed that his life had changed from crappy to awesome when he entered high school.

“You're right. They _are_ delicious”, commented Nico around a mouth full. “And about that lovesickness of yours, well, if you're meant to be, you'll meet again, I'm sure.”

“Thanks”, whispered Percy with a small grin.

 

/break\

 

So Percy's puppy-eyes didn't disappear, hope didn't diminish. Nico's words had encouraged him again. If he was meant to meet his Death Angel again, he would. Which meant the puppy-eyes were coupled with a hopeful smile, which seemed to freak people out even more.

“Dude, no. You're way too obsessed with that guy. You need a distraction”, declared Leo.

“I faintly remember that a sentence like this started this whole mess”, muttered Percy.

“Frank's birthday is coming up and Hazel organized a big party. You're coming with me.”

Right. The boyfriend and the girlfriend. Leo's boyfriend and Leo's girlfriend. Percy was still busy trying to wrap his head around that. But he was happy that Leo was so happy. Still...

“Funny, and _that's_ how that conversation continued”, huffed Percy and rolled his eyes.

“Still. You're coming with me and that's an order”, declared Leo finally, grinning brightly.

“Like I have a choice anyway”, chuckled Percy amused.

 

/break\

 

Since Hades and Persephone di Angelo were on their 'second honeymoon', Hazel had decided to throw Frank's birthday party at their place. Nico didn't appreciate the notion of having a party there. Frank was part of the football team and even though Percy had made Nico reluctant to judge a book by its cover, he still knew _those_ jocks pretty well. They liked to trash the place they partied at when they had too much alcohol. And Hazel had already raided their dad's bar.

So while the party was in full swing downstairs, Nico decided to spend the evening holed up in his own room, with his headphones on, ignoring the world. At least until he saw a shadow passing his window. Frowning concerned, he put his phones down. He didn't like the idea of Hazel's guests roaming Persephone's gardens, throwing up over her prized roses and sleeping on her beautiful tulips. She'd ground Nico for the rest of his life since he was in charge while they were gone. Opening the glass-door that lead straight out to the gardens, Nico followed the shadowy figure.

“Hey, you. Party is inside, you got no business sneaking around here”, called Nico annoyed.

“Christ, Nico, try not to scare me to death!”, exclaimed the figure and stepped closer.

“Percy? What are _you_ doing here?”, asked Nico confused.

“Well, it seems your sister is dating my best friend”, grinned Percy sheepishly. “And your sister said it would be alright. She was talking about your stepmother's garden and her tulips and I wanted to see those blue tulips myself. If it's not okay, I can go again...”

“No, it's alright”, backtracked Nico hastily. “I just didn't want any drunkards throwing up in mamma's flowers. She wouldn't appreciate _that_. Come on, I'll show you the tulips.”

Percy blushed a little as Nico casually rested his hand on Percy's lower back. Ever since their conversation under the bleachers, Nico had started to actually act different from his usual nasty self. At least around Percy. He was actually being quite... charming, now that they were on speaking-terms. Percy liked that. A lot. A shudder wrecked his body, partly because of the semi-intimate touch and partly because it was the middle of November and it was freezing.

“Are you cold?”, asked Nico concerned.

“Yeah, a little. Forgot my coat inside when I went out for the gardens”, grinned Percy sheepishly.

Nico rolled his eyes and grabbed his hoodie by the seams, pulling it up over his head. Percy's eyes were glued to the sliver of olive-toned abs that was revealed when the black shirt beneath it riled up with the hoodie. That was a nice view. He yelped surprised when the hoodie was pulled over his head. His cheeks blushed a little as he found himself wearing Nico's hoodie.

“But now you're cold”, countered Percy weakly.

“I don't freeze easily”, replied Nico with a shrug, straightening his shirt.

Percy buried his nose in the hoodie, inhaling the oddly familiar and pleasant scent. Strange. But before he could dwell on that thought, they reached a beautiful pond surrounded by blue tulips.

“This is amazing”, whispered Percy in awe.

Nico chuckled amused, watching how Percy was practically looking at every blossom individually. This boy had some _weird_ kink for blue things. It was childish, but somehow endearing. Nico sat down on the bench in front of the pond and waited for Percy to join him. Once he did, they actually fell into a pleasant, long-lasting conversation. Mainly about Frank, Hazel and Leo, but also about how the other jocks apparently aren't as shallow as Nico assumed beforehand and about the color blue and what blue things Percy owned. Once they reached the topic of dogs, they were both goners. Nico had his pride and joy, Zerberus, while Percy kept chattering about his Mrs. O'Leary. It surprised them both how well they got along, now that they sat together and talked for a change.

“It's getting late. I should probably be going”, sighed Percy when he chanced a look at his watch.

“A shame”, commented Nico with a frown and stood. “Come, I'll bring you to the door.”

They entered the house again and fought their way past dancing and partying teens until they reached the wardrobe. Nico leaned back and waited while Percy was crawling through a pile of coats. It was adorable. And the way he was kneeling, his ass was pointing into Nico's direction. A truly appreciated sight. After a few minutes, Percy made a triumphant sound and emerged again. Nico blinked in slow-motion as he watched how Percy put on _Nico's_ leather-coat.

“W—Where did you get my coat?”, asked the Italian stunned. “I made sure to lock all my clothes up in my room before Hazel's little party started to take place!”

“That's not yours”, huffed Percy and rolled his eyes. “I _told_ you about how I met someone. I met him at Luke's Halloween-party and when he brought me home, he gave me his coat.”

“Yeah, no. That's _my_ coat. My father had it tailored specifically for me”, grunted Nico and shook his head. “I gave it to Perseus on the... Perseus. Per _cy_. Don't tell me your name is actually Perseus?”

“It's embarrassing, but yeah my mom has this thing for the Greek myths”, muttered Percy, before his eyes widened and his breath hitched. “Wait. That means you're my Death Angel.”

“ _Your_ Death Angel?”, asked Nico with amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Uh... eh... well...”, mumbled Percy awkwardly, blushing brightly.

“Though... I thought your name was Perseus Blofis...”, mused Nico curiously.

“Well, it _is_ Perseus. But Blofis is my stepfather's last name. I kept my mom's maiden name when they got married. No need to change my name because of that”, shrugged Percy awkwardly. “Oh for Christ's sake, stop talking and kiss me already, will you?!”

The blushing jock glared and grabbed Nico by the neck, pulling him into the kiss that he had longed for for three weeks. His eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into the tender touch and he melted into the embrace as Nico finally reacted and laid his arms around Percy's waist.

“Your Death Angel”, whispered Nico, sounding very much like he was agreeing with the notion.

“Yup. Mine”, nodded Percy with a bright grin.

“Well, Perseus, it seems you _truly_ do have more layers than a cake”, huffed Nico. “You're nothing like how I thought a jock like you was supposed to be. I suppose I should apologize for that.”

“If by 'apologize', you mean 'kiss', then yes please, apologize as much as you want”, grinned Percy broadly. “And I'm guessing you're going to keep calling me that from now on, huh?”

“Perseus?”, asked Nico, the name more like a purr, causing Percy to shudder. “Yes. Definitely.”

“It's way too cliche to be making out in the closet. I mean, I get that you're not ready to get out of the metaphorical closet just yet, Perce, but don't take it so literal.”

“Leo! Get out of here! I'm having a private moment!”, exclaimed Percy embarrassed.

There, in the doorway, stood a broadly grinning Latino, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “I'm sure Paul will pay me good money if I return you home with your virginity still intact.”

Percy's face was beet-red and Nico cocked one intrigued eyebrow, caressing Percy's flushed cheeks. “Mh, now that's something to be looking forward to then, mio bello.”

“Urgh, I hate you. Both of you”, groaned Percy and threw his head back.

“Yeah, well, you're _welcome_. I obviously helped you getting over your crush”, huffed Leo.

“You didn't. Nico _is_ my crush!”, exclaimed Percy, his blush darkening. “I mean-”

“I think we all know what you mean”, chuckled Nico, amused by Percy's embarrassment before turning toward Leo. “He means that I'm the guy from the party. You must be the best friend.”

“Oh. My. Gosh. Do you know what that means, Perce?!”, yelped Leo high-pitched.

“That... I may have a boyfriend now...?”, offered Percy, throwing an uncertain look at Nico.

While Nico nodded firmly like he wanted to say 'What kind of question is that? Of course you're mine now!', Leo just shook his head widely. “No, dumbass! That means we're so going to be brothers-in-law! Since your boyfriend is my girlfriend's brother! I gotta tell Hazel!”

The Latino turned on his heels and dashed off, rambling to himself. Nico and Percy exchanged an amused look before Nico took Percy by the hand and led him out of the closet.

“Let me bring you home safely, Perseus”, insisted the Italian, one arm around Percy's waist.

Percy just smiled happily and leaned against his boyfriend's side. “Totally fine by me.”

 

/Omake – One Week Later\

 

Sally was frowning a little confused. Was Percy going through some kind of phase? She had heard that some rebelling teenagers turned goth or emo or whatever the dressed-in-black-kids were called these days when they wanted to 'make a statement'. But Percy wasn't exactly rebelling. He used to be in middle school, but ever since Gabe had left their family, Percy was rather well-behaved. Still, it was strange. Last month, Percy had suddenly showed up with that black leather coat and now Sally was holding a black hoodie in her hands as she was in the middle of doing the weekly laundry. She _knew_ that every piece of clothes that Percy owned was blue. Holding the hoodie close to her chest, she decided to confront Percy about this new phase. When she entered Percy's room, her son was still deep asleep. Wearing a slightly too large, black _Nightmare Before Christmas_ shirt that she hadn't known he owned either. Where were those clothes coming from?

“Mh... Nico...”, mumbled Percy in his sleep, a dopey grin on his face as he rolled over.

 

_~*~ The End ~*~_


End file.
